3rd European Food Festival in Yangon – a brief history (1/4)

Introducing different cuisines from the Alps region

A majestic mountain system in south-central Europe, the Alps form an arc spanning almost 750 miles from the Mediterranean Sea through northern Italy and southeast France, Switzerland, southern Germany, and Austria and into the northwest part of the Balkan Peninsula. Rose Garden Hotel Yangon takes a culinary tour through the region, with stops in Bavaria for their famous Brotzeit; in Austrian for Kaiserschamrrn and Raclette in Switzerland.Raclette cheese is a semi-firm, salted cheese made with cow’s milk. It has a very distinctive pleasant, aromatic smell with a creamy texture, similar to Gruyere cheeses.
Raclette was mentioned in medieval texts from Swiss-German convents dating from as early as 1291. The cheese was originally consumed by peasants in the mountainous Alpine. It was then known in the German-speaking part of Switzerland as Bratchäs, or “roasted cheese”.

Traditionally, cow herders carried cheese with them when they were moving cows to or from pastures up in the mountains. In the evening, the cheese would be placed next to a campfire for softening, then scraped onto bread.
On a cold night, grab yourself a hunk of raclette, a jar of cornichons (French for gherkin, technical term for tiny pickle), some slices of prosciutto or ham, and a giant pile of steaming taters. And you got yourself a fancy, melty, indulgent mess that’s better than most run-of-the-mill level one escapade.
Raclette de Valais, contain low levels of lactose and is well tolerated by some lactose-intolerant people.
Finding actual Raclette cheese can be tough in Yangon , and it used to only appear seasonally. Throughout the year however, it remains a delicious and familiar dish to visitors of Rose Gardens’ Wine & Cheese Soiree which is held every third Thursday of the month, will be freshly scraped onto diners’ plates and served with young potatoes and homemade pickles.